The Cries Of Baby Afreen

What kind of a father Umar Farooq is who tortured his three-month-old baby girl Afreen to death! What kind of a traumatic experience the mother Reshma must be going through! The more one thinks about the cruel fate Baby Afreen met this morning in Bangalore’s Vani Vilas (Victoria) Hospital, the more gruesome the whole incident appears.

We have our fair share of incidents where unwanted newborn baby girls are dumped in the trash bins right outside the hospitals. Such incidents keep happening with amazing regularity. But now the frustrated fathers are turning more violent. Either they want to kill the wives who give birth to the female children in the first place or they want to do away with the innocent toddlers.

There are many campaigns afoot to create awareness about the importance of a girl child. Even the state governments come out with the innovative schemes for the education of girls in their respective states. When we look at the representatives of the print or visual media, most of the high profile journalists or news anchors happen to be women. Moreover, the modern work places do not discriminate between the sexes when it comes to giving opportunities for the further growth.

Therefore, the point that comes to mind is no longer parenting a girl child is as burdensome as it used to be in the good old days. A girl can complete her higher studies and join any respectable profession of her liking. She can earn more than her father and make her parents proud of her achievements. There are countless examples to justify this claim. Then why do incidents like Baby Afreen happen?

The news of Baby Afreen succumbing to the injuries inflicted allegedly by her own father has sent shock waves across the country. Some people are calling for the harshest punishment for the culprit so as to prevent the future Baby Afreens. The father Umar Farooq who sadly doesn’t know the meaning of what a father is or should be is under police custody. The law will take its own course. If proven guilty, he will have to undergo the punishment the law of the land decides to hand out to him.

But the fact remains that one more newly-born innocent has bid adieu to the world for no fault of her own. It is her death that is making the headlines is something that can only get as bizarre as this. The hard-hitting irony is the picture of Baby Afreen’s dead body lying in the hospital bed with the tubes attached will continue to haunt any parent for the long time to come. Will her father Umar Farooq ever realise what a disgraceful and heinous act he has committed?

It will feel a little less painful if the father confesses to his sins and decides to atone for them by doing something really meaningful for the young children. Let’s pray somebody shows him the picture of the innocent Baby Afreen lying still in the hospital bed, for that is sure to break his heart into pieces and force tears out of his eyes.